"I call upon the Muslim organisations of the country to mount pressure on the centre to withdraw the visa and prevent him visiting India where [tens of millions] community members still feel hurt owing to the anti-Islamic remarks in his writings The Muslims cannot pardon him at any cost," said Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani, the institute head.

His remarks were supported by party leaders in Uttar Pradesh, India's largest state which is home to the seminary and is currently holding a state election campaign in which Muslim votes could decide the outcome. India's ruling Congress Party has targeted the state's Muslim voters with pledges of new quotas for government jobs and university places.

Rajesh Dixit, general secretary of the Samajwadi Party, the state's second largest party, said the author's visit must be prevented to avoid insult to India's Muslims.

"Those who cause tensions between communities should not be allowed to come," he said. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party said Sir Salman's arrival was "not proper" during the Uttar Pradesh state election campaign.

Sir Salman, who was born in Mumbai and holds Indian travel documents, remains committed to appearing at the festival, he said.

The author posted a defiant response on Twitter. "Re: my Indian visit, for the record, I don't need a visa," he said.

William Dalrymple, the writer and Jaipur Literature Festival co-director, said the row was a "monumental tragedy" and the result of a "game of Chinese whispers gone horribly wrong."

Salman Rushdie's writing had made a major "contribution to multiculturalism, pluralism and co-existence" and had created "a bridge for Indian writers like Arundhatti Roy and Amithav Ghosh to conquer the world," he said. "He's one of the greatest artists India has created, one of the greatest figures to come out of the Indian Muslim community and people should be proud of what he's achieved," he added.